Cognitive research has substantiated that interactive activities, by motivating and engaging students, help them to better process and store information.
In this issue of the Teaching Times, Pitt faculty share ways they use interactive instruction to promote learning. Interaction can have a variety of positive effects on learning, such as helping students feel comfortable, confident, and motivated; providing the practice and feedback needed to bridge the gap between current knowledge and instructional objectives; and giving students a way to apply concepts in a simulated “real-world” setting
Instructor-student interaction can be as simple as an instructor of a large class learning students’ names and informally talking with them before class. Another form of interaction involving student collaboration with peers, often referred to as cooperative learning, has been increasing in use. “There is a wealth of evidence that peer learning and teaching is extremely effective for a wide range of goals, content and students of different levels and personalities,” according to Wilbert McKeachie in his classic text Teaching Tips (2006).
In this issue
- George Bandik, Chemistry, describes ways he has found to make students in a large, impersonal chemistry class feel comfortable about participating.
- William Klein, Psychology, gives his students group projects that call upon them to use new information to solve problems.
- Brett Wells, French and Italian Languages and Literatures, requires his French students to develop reading, listening, and speaking skills through small group discussions that immerse them in the other culture and language.
- Gerald Shuster, Communication, develops projects and assignments that demand that students take a direct role in their learning through dialogue and debate with the instructor and peers.
- John Wilson, Public Health, uses real-world examples and anecdotal evidence of his own experiences to help students visualize applications of biostatistics.
- Mary Kay Biagini, Information Sciences, uses simulations and group work to promote a hands-on, interactive learning environment.
- Nancy McCabe, Communication and Arts, University of Pittsburgh at Bradford, emphasizes discussion and the importance of a “community atmosphere” to promote student interaction with works of literature.
- Pat Chew, Law, asks her students to teach one another and put textbook information into action.
- Valerie Swigart, Nursing, uses interactive questioning and examples from daily life to help students grasp abstract concepts.
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